Steam turbine apparatus



Dec. 1942- c. c. FRANCK 2,304,993

STEAM TURBINEAPPARATUS Filed June 20, 1941 WITNESSES:

INVENTOR )Mjkvn m I u CLRgfNCE ClFhnncn.

WAAVL AITORNEY Patented Dec. 15, 1942 STEAM TURBINE APPARATUS ClarenceC. Franck, Swarthmore, Pa., assignor to -Westinghouse Electric &Manufacturing. Com- .pany,.-East,Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation ofPennsylvania Application June 20, 1941, Serial No. 398,901

7 Claims.

The invention relates to steamturbines hav ing cylinder constructionsincluding inner and outer spaced walls with a steam chest carried by theinner wall and provided with governoroperated valves for controlling theflow of steam therefrom to desired nozzle groups and it has foran-object to provide valves and an operating arrangement thereofassuring of seating of the valves asintended without interference onaccount of expansion and contraction effects.

A turbine having a cylinder construction including inner and outer wallswith a steam chest carried by the inner wall is old. Heretofore, withsuch an arrangement, the nozzle control valves-Within the steam chesthavebeen operated by means of stems extending through the inner andouter walls. Differential expansion or contraction may result in bindingof the valve stems or disturbanceof seating of the valves. Accordingly,a more particular object of the invention is to provide valves inthesteam chest with operating mechanism thereforcomp'rising a bar withinthe steam chest for lifting and lowering the valves, rods or linksextending through the steam chest wall and connected to the bar, and alink or links extending through the outer wall for governor operationand connected to the first links in the space between the inner andouter walls so that the valves maybe operated in the desired mannerwithout interference on account of expansion or contraction efiects.

These and other objects are effected by the invention as will beapparent from the following description and claims taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawing forming a part of this application, inwhich:

The figure is a longitudinal sectional view of a turbine incorporatingthe improvement.

In the drawing, there is shown a steam turbine comprising a rotor, atIn, and a cylinder construction, at H, comprising outer and inner wallsi2 and I3 separated by the steamspace M. The turbine includes an initialstage having a plurality of nozzle groups IS.

A wall I! integral with the inner wall l3 cooperates'with the latter toprovide a steam chest l3 from which steam is supplied by nozzle passagesIt to the nozzle groups. Steam is supplied to the steam chest by meansof one or more conduits 20 extending through the outer wall l2 and thesteam chest wall ll, attached to the outer wall, and having a steamtightslipjoint connection '2lwith respect'to the steam chest Wall. Valveseats *22 disposed internally of the steam chest provide entrances forthe nozzle passages I9 and valves 23-cooperate with the seats.

The valves '23 are operated bymeansincluding inner and outer rods "24and 25 extending through the steam chest and outer walls and soconnected that normal guided movement thereof and desired operation ofthe valves may be maintained irrespective of thermal effects. As shown,there are two parallel rods or links 24 and two parallel rods orlinks25. The inner cylinder wallhas parallel and cylindrical guide openings26 and the steam chest wall has parallel and cylindrical guide openings2'! aligned with the first openings. The outer wall has cylindricalguide openings 28 parallel to each otherand to the aligned openings 26and 21. The inner rods 24 closely fit the aligned pairs of openings 26and 21' and are guided for movement by the latter. Similarly, the outerrods fit and are guided by the openings 28.

Within the steam chest, the inner rods 24 are preferably'connected toabar 29 having openings through which valve stems 30 loosely extend, thestems having abutments 3| and 32 below and above thebar and spaced sothat, it the bar is raised and lowered, the valves may be opened andclosed in desired sequence. In the space between the outer wall and thesteam chest wall, there is providedmeans for connecting the inner andouter rodsand accommodating for differential expansion and contractionwithout. affecting the operation. Preferably, such means is comprised bya bar33 having openings 34 and 35 through which the inner and outer rods24 and 25 extend. Theouter rods 25 have abutments 36 and 31 cooperatingwith the bar above and below the latter so that the rods and thebar maybe raised and lowered together. The inner rods 24 have abutments 39above the bar 33 providing for lifting of therods .by the bar and thebar is free to be'lowered relatively to the rods 'when'the latter 'reachtheir innermost positions.

The openings 34 and '35 for the inner and outer rods are larger thanthe'latter and the upper ends of the openings Mare countersunk toprovide spherical seats 40 for spherical lowerfaces dllformedon theabutments 39. Therefore, the bar 33 operatively connects theinner andouter rods so that the outer rods may move out of parallelism or bedisplaced' relatively to the inner rods without affecting the guidedmovements thereof. Furthermore, contraction andexpansion of the bar 33may occur without any effect on the rods.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that expansion and contractionof the cy inder structure and of parts of the valve-operating mechanismmay occur without affecting the operativeness of the latter ordisturbing the seating of the valves. By having separate links extendingthrough the outer and steam chest walls and connecting the links bymeans providing for relative lateral and angular displacement thereofand in itself capable of displacement laterally of the rods,difierential contraction and expansion of the cylinder structure andparts of the operating mechanism may occur without disturbing seating ofthe valves or causing binding of the rods in their guide openings.

While the invention has been shown in but one form, it will be obviousto those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but issusceptible of various changes and modifications without departing fromthe spirit thereof, and it is desired, therefore, that only suchlimitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth inthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a steam turbine turbine having an impulse stage including groupsof nozzles, a cylinder construction including spaced inner and outerwalls, a wall integral with the inner wall and cooperating therewith toprovide a steam chest, means extending through an outer wall and thesteam chest wall for supplying steam to the steam chest, said cylinderconstruction having nozzle passages opening into the steam I chest forsupplying steam from the latter to the nozzle groups, valves within thesteam chest for controlling the flow of steam from the latter to thenozzle passages, means for operating the valves including rods extendingthrough the steam chest wall, one or more operating rods extendingthrough the outer Wall, and means in the space between the outer walland the steam chest wall'for connecting the first rods and the operatingrod or rods and providing for relative displacements thereof.

2. In a steam turbine having an impulse stage including groups ofnozzles, a cylinder construction including spaced inner and outer walls,a wall integral with the inner wall and cooperating therewith to providea steam chest, means extending through an outer wall and the steam chestwall for supplying steam to the steam chest, said cylinder constructionhaving nozzle passages opening into the steam chest for supplying steamfrom the latter to the nozzle groups, valves within the steam chest forcontrolling the flow of steam from the latter to the nozzle passages,said steam chest wall and outer wall having a plurality of parallel andcylindrical guide openings extending therethrough, inner rods extendingthrough the steam chest wall guide openings and operatively connected tothe valves, outer rod or rods extending through the outer wall guideopening or openings, and means in the space between the outer wall andthe steam chest wall for connecting the inner and outer rods andproviding for relative displacements thereof.

3. In a steam turbine having an impulse stage including groups ofnozzles, a cylinder construction including spaced inner and outer walls,a wall integral with the inner wall and cooperating therewith to'providea steam chest, means ex.- tending through an outer wall and the steamchest wall for supplying steam to the steam chest, said cylinderconstruction having nozzle passages opening into the steam chest forsupplying steam from the latter to the nozzle groups, valves within thesteam chest for controlling the flow of steam from the latter to thenozzle passages, means for operating the valves including rods extendingthrough the steam chest wall, one or more operating rods extendingthrough the outer wall, a bar in the space between the outer wall andthe steam chest wall and having openings through which the inner andouter rods extend, the openings being larger than the rods, abutmentscarried by the outer rods for engagement with the upper and lower sidesof the bar, and abutments carried by the inner rods for engagement bythe upper side of the bar.

4. In a steam turbine having an impulse stage including groups ofnozzles, a cylinder construction including spaced inner and outer walls,a wall integral with the inner wall and cooperating therewith to providea steam chest, means extending through an outer wall and the steam chestwall for supplying steam to the steam chest, said cylinder constructionhaving nozzle passages opening into the steam chest for supplying steamfrom the latter to the nozzle groups, valves within the steam chest forcontrolling the flow of steam from the latter to the nozzle passages,means for operating the valves including rods extending through thesteam chest wall, one or more operating rods extending through the outerwall, a bar in the space between the outer wall and the steam chest walland having openings through which the inner and outer rods extend, theopenings being larger than the rods, abutments carried by the outer rodsfor engagement with the upper and lower sides of the bar and abutmentscarried by the inner rods for engagement by the upper side of the bar,the upper ends of the bar openings for the inner rods being countersunkto provide spherical seats and the lower faces of the abutments of theinner rods being spherical and fitting the seats.

5. In a steam turbine having an impulse stage including groups ofnozzles, a cylinder construction includin spaced inner and outer wallsand a wall integral with the inner wall and cooperating therewith toprovide a steam chest; means for supplying steam to the steam chest andcomprising a conduit extending through the outer and steam chest walls,rigidly attached to the outer wall, and having a steamtightslip-jointconnection with respect to the steam chest wall; said cylinderconstruction having nozzle passages opening into the steam chest andsupplying steam from the latter to the nozzle groups; valves within thesteam chest for controlling the flow of steam therefrom to the nozzlepassages; an inner bar within the steam chest and arranged above thevalves; stems connected to the respective Valves and extending upwardlytherefrom; abutments carried by each stem for cooperation with the barso that lifting and lowering of the latter may be utilized to eifectopening and closing of the valves; an outer bar disposed above the firstbar and located in the space between the inner and outer walls; linksconnecting the first and second bars and extending through the steamchest wall; and one or more operating links connected to the second barand extending through the outerwall.

6. In a steam turbine having an impulse stage including groups ofnozzles, a cylinder construction including spaced inner and outer wallsand a wall integral with the inner wall and cooperating therewith toprovide a steam chest; means for supplying steam to the steam chest andcomprising a conduit extending through the outer and steam chest walls,rigidly attached to the outer wall, and having a steamtight slip-jointconnection with respect to the steam chest wall; said cylinderconstruction having nozzle passages opening into the steam chest andsupplying steam from the latter to the nozzle groups; valves within thesteam chest for controlling the flow of steam therefrom to the nozzlepassages; an inner bar within the steam chest and arranged above thevalves; stems connected to the respective valves and extending upwardlytherefrom; abutments carried by each stem for cooperating with the barso that lifting and lowering of the latter may be utilized to effectopening and closing of the valves; an outer bar disposed above the firstbar and located in the space between the inner and outer walls; saidinner wall and the steam chest wall having aligned cylindrical guideopenings and said outer wall having cylindrical guide openings parallelto each other and to the first openings; inner rods fitting said alignedguide openings, connected to the inner bar, and extending throughopenings formed in the outer bar; outer rods fitting the outer wallguide openings and extending through openings formed in the outer bar;abutments carried by the outer rods for engagement with the upper andlower sides of the outer bar; and abutments carried by the inner rodsfor engagement by the upper side of the outer bar; said openings in theouter bar for the rods being larger than the latter.

7. In a steam turbine having an impulse stage including groups ofnozzles, a cylinder construction including spaced inner and outer wallsand a wall integral with the inner wall and cooperating therewith toprovide a steam chest; means for supplying steam to the steam chest andcomprising a conduit extending through the outer and steam chest walls,rigidly attached to the outer wall, and having a steamtight slip-jointconnection with respect to the steam chest wall; said cylinderconstruction having nozzle passages opening into the steam chest andsupplying steam from the latter to the nozzle groups; valves within thesteam chest for controlling the flow of steam therefrom to the nozzlepassages; an inner bar within the steam chest and arranged above thevalves; stems connected to the respective valves and extending upwardlytherefrom; abutments carried by each stem for cooperating with the barso that lifting and lowering of the latter may be utilized to effectopening and closing of the valves; an outer bar disposed above the firstbar and located in the space between the inner and outer walls; saidinner wall and the steam chest wall having aligned cylindrical guideopenings and said outer wall having cylindrical guide openings parallelto each other and to the first openings; inner rods fitting said alignedguide openings, connected to the inner bar, and extending throughopenings formed in the outer bar; outer rods fitting the outer wallguide openings and extending through openings formed in the outer bar;abutments carried by the outer rods for engagement with the upper andlower sides of the outer bar; and abutments carried .by the inner rodsfor engagement by the upper side of the outer bar; said openings in theouter bar for the rods being larger than the latter, the upper ends ofthe openings for the inner rods being countersunk to provide sphericalseats, and the abutments of the latter rods having spherical facesfitting the seats.

. CLARENCE C. FRANCK.

